


Guardian of Sanity: Redux

by Samhildanach



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Guardian Parody, OOC Percy Jackson, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Parental Zoe Nightshade (Percy Jackson), Slow Burn, parental Percy Jackson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:48:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27351472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samhildanach/pseuds/Samhildanach
Summary: I once wrote a story called Guardian of Sanity involving an OC who becomes involved with the Hunt and ends up dimension hopping into different Hunts, showing how ridiculous they are in stories where Percy becomes Guardian of the Hunt or whatever and falls in love with Artemis.I reread my story and decided it was garbage, so I'm rewriting it.Now Percy is the OC, only he's not Perseus Jackson, he's a wind spirit who calls himself Percival Jackson. Percy Jackson for short. (He is essentially Percy, only difference being he's a wind spirit and has blue eyes instead of green.)I still don't think it's very good, but Zoe needs WAY more love on ao3, so I'm posting it here anyway. Updates will likely slow way way way way down after I reach the end of the previous story, roughly 30k words.If anyone reads this, good luck to you.
Relationships: Percy Jackson/Zoë Nightshade
Kudos: 3





	1. Dainty, not Delicate

**Author's Note:**

> Percy is going to be very out of character, because he's been alive for thousands of years, and this is an alternate universe where things are a bit more serious.

Flying is an incredible feeling.

It's better than riding front-seat on a roller coaster. Better than drifting in a sports car.

The feeling of total, effortless freedom is a greater joy than almost any other.

And, let me tell you, flying while made of air is at least a hundred times better.

Allow me to introduce myself.

I am a wind spirit. My true name is too hard to pronounce, not to mention long, and so I left it forgotten to the sands of time, in an age long past.

I go by Percy, now--Percy Jackson. Percival Jackson, to be exact. There's no particular reason--it doesn’t sound much like my true name, or anything of the sort. I did not name myself in honor of another, as Pallas Athena had. I simply enjoyed the way it sounded.

How was I to know the story behind the name? The story behind  _ me _ ? But that can come later.

My story begins after the Second Titanomachy ended, when I began my journey to Olympus, looking to reclaim my immortal power.

You see, I’m not simply a wind spirit. I’m an immortal wind spirit.

Or, I  _ was  _ immortal.

When the Second Titanomachy began, I knew I had to do something. The Ancient Laws prohibit direct interference from immortals, and I wanted very much to interfere directly. So I left my immortal power behind, in the care of Hestia.

Many others left their immortal power with her as well, as they went off to fight. As the goddess of the hearth, and hope, she gave us comfort--the belief that one day, we would return, victorious, and regain ourselves.

We became mortal, leaving within ourselves only enough power to maintain eternal youth. We did not know how long the fighting would last, after all, and the Ancient Laws mention nothing of the ever-youthful. Who would give that up unnecessarily?

While the Greeks and the Romans fought their battles, we acted to protect the mortals.

Not every monster was pressed into the Crooked One’s service--most were left alone, free to roam the continent as they pleased. Though the Mist prevents the eyes of mortals from seeing monsters--that which they are unable to comprehend--it does not prevent monsters from seeing  _ them. _

Without the tempting scent of a demigod near, monsters  _ will _ turn to mortal flesh.

I, and my brothers-in-arms, aimed to prevent that.

My greatest regret is that in leaving behind my immortal power, I had to leave behind my true form as well. Soaring through the air, unfettered and without a care, was a thing of the past.

When the monster attacks grew less frequent, word eventually reached me: We won. Kronos had been defeated.

Naturally, my preeminent wish was to return to Olympus and reclaim my immortal power. Perhaps it was selfish of me. Perhaps I should’ve stayed in California. Perhaps I should have helped the Romans rebuild. I retained my eternal lifespan, after all. There was no hurry.

But I was tired. I wanted to fly free, once more. It had been so long--and I did not like to be restrained.

It should have taken a couple of weeks to return to Olympus. Though mortal I was, wind I remained. Though I had never gotten used to the new forms of travel the humans created, my speed was not low--my own two feet were far fleeter than a horse’s hooves. Perhaps that was another mistake.

Had I not been running through those woods, perhaps what happened would not have happened.

Or, perhaps, Destiny would have found a way.

* * *

The event that forever changed the course of my existence occurred very suddenly.

In fact, it occurred at the exact speed of my travel.

One moment, I was running through a forest, and the next moment, I collided head-first with an invisible barrier, and promptly knocked myself unconscious.

When I came to, whatever barrier I had encountered was clearly moving, and I along with it.

It pulled me along the ground at a handsome pace--faster than walking, but slower than running.

Jumping to my feet, I sought to distance myself from the barrier. I didn’t know the strength of the force field, and I didn’t want to find out by being between it and a tree while it moved. I was strong, but strong enough to knock down a tree with just my body? Such a feat was perhaps beyond me.

Though the barrier seemed to be forcing me southwest, the opposite of where I wanted to go, I had no choice but to acquiesce. I ran the direction the barrier pushed, hoping to find the source of the thing.

I expected to find some rare monster, or perhaps a mage playing a practical joke.

So perhaps it is unsurprising that I reacted poorly to running through a group of Huntresses.

The prudent thing to do would have been to stop running.

Beyond that, as a male, there would be no more prudent things left to do, but it would have been better than what I actually did. Which was, of course, to run right through the group, and keep on running.

At least I discovered that there was another barrier on this side of the Hunt.

“Please don’t tell me…” I mumbled, as I began sprinting to my right.

I kept my hand against the barrier as I moved, and as I predicted, the barrier was continuous. At least, I assumed it was. There were trees in the way at times, but the chances there was an exit where a tree happened to be were rather small, in my estimation.

Which meant I was trapped. With the Huntresses.

I, a man by every definition, was now trapped with a group of women who had sworn off the company of men forever.

Which sounded fine, on the surface. There was nothing in their oath about wanting to kill men. But, as it turned out,  _ most _ women who joined the Huntresses of Artemis did so because they were not exactly fond of the less fair sex.  _ Most  _ Huntresses, in fact,  _ did  _ want to kill men.

I didn't know what I was going to do. 

‘Do I hide myself until the barrier goes away?’

Who knows how long that would take. 

‘Do I announce myself to the Hunt, and hope they don't kill me on the spot?’ 

I was rather fond of my privates, so that option was out for the time being.

‘Maybe the barrier can be circumvented via height?’

It was worth a try, but with the damn thing still moving, it would be extraordinarily difficult to climb a tree and attempt to jump over the barrier before it moved too far from me.

I ran to the forward-moving edge of the barrier, and groaned. I hadn’t thought of anything in the time that had taken, so I really didn’t have a choice.

Giving up, I heaved a huge sigh and plopped down, sitting cross legged on the forest floor.

Removing my scabbards from my belt, I laid my swords across my lap as I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again a few minutes later, an arrow was trained on me.

The arrow was nocked on a bowstring, which was part of a bow, and that bow was wielded by a Huntress.

"What are you doing here? Explain, now, or die!" the woman said, very unpleasantly.

She herself was not unpleasant, with pleasing proportions and a charming face. She seemed 17 or 18, the average age of the Huntresses. It was also the age I chose to remain at, when I gave up my immortal power.

Remaining seated, I said calmly, "I seem to be stuck."

She let go of the arrow she was holding and I gasped in pain as it buried itself in my thigh, dangerously close to my unmentionables. Luckily, it was aimed such that it missed both my femur and any major arteries. The arrow was meant to cause pain, but not lasting damage.

"Explain exactly what you're doing here, or this time, I  _ will _ kill you," she repeated, completely unfazed.

Gritting my teeth, I managed to say, “I was on my way to Olympus. A few minutes before I ran through your group, I ran into an unseen barrier. It was travelling opposite my direction. I soon realized it to be moving  _ your _ direction, when I ran through the Hunt.”

I took a deep breath and continued, “I soon met the other edge, and running for several minutes seemed to prove its circular nature. I surmise there is some kind of force field around here that prevents me from moving outside of it. My guess is that it is somehow tied to the position of the Huntresses.”

"Bullshit," she said, as she shot my other leg, mercilessly.

I gasped in pain a second time.

“I, too, find it hard to believe, but it is the truth. I swear on the Styx.”

Thunder rumbled to acknowledge the oath.

“And if I still don’t believe you?” she said, ever-skeptical.

It wasn’t the first time someone disbelieved my oath, nor would it be the last.

“Please, think this through. Why would I want to stay anywhere near the Hunt? I’m trying to return to Olympus and regain my immortal power. Why would I risk my life here now, when in a matter of weeks I could be immortal once again?”

The woman seemed to consider this, before retorting, “So you’re saying, you would return here once you regained your immortality? You mean to see the Huntresses’ great beauty for yourself once more, as an immortal?”

I almost couldn’t believe my ears, and the blood loss was getting to me.

I lost my temper as I nearly shouted, “What?! Dear gods, no! If I never see a Huntress again, it’ll be too soon! I’m only saying that if my goal  _ was  _ to get closer to the Hunt, which it  _ isn’t _ , I’d never do it before regaining my immortality.”

Considering this for a long while, the Huntress finally nodded, “That makes sense. I’ll have to bring you before the Elder Sisters. They’ll decide your fate.”

Letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in, I said breathily, “Great. Mind if I lay down here for a minute?”

My mind went dark before my head met the ground.

When I came to, I was in some sort of tent, lying on a bed. When I looked down, my legs were bandaged expertly, though the wraps remained red with blood. I was in my underpants, as I had been shot very high up. My thoughts slowed as I wondered just what happened to me.

The tent flap opened, and a different woman than the one who shot me came inside.

"How are you feeling?" she said tersely.

"Like I got shot in the legs," I replied, equally tersely.

"Your glibness will do you no credit here. Of that, I can assure you."

As I looked at the woman more closely, I saw that she was just as pleasing to the eye as the first. I could see why the Huntresses were so famed. It seemed they were all gorgeous. It was not hard to imagine the suffering they might have faced from men of low morals.

"I thank whoever tended my wounds. I am grateful.”

The woman stared at me. There was no hatred in her eyes, but no mirth, either. It was an analytical look--like she was trying to decide if I was a monster or just a man. That is, if she believed there was a difference.

"Noted. But your gratitude means nothing to me. I healed you because your death would be troublesome. That is all.”

I could tell she meant it, too.

“Even so, I thank you.”

She stared at me some more.

“You will have to put your bloody shorts back on. We do not make a habit of carrying spare male clothes.”

I nodded in understanding. I could have said something about how this wasn’t a problem, I’d dealt with worse during the war, but this woman was not likely to care. I simply did as she asked, covering myself once again.

Once I finished re-clothing myself, the doctor-type said, “You’ll be meeting with the Elder Sisters soon. I’d suggest you prepare yourself.”

With that, she exited the tent. In just a few moments, another woman took her place.

She was far more beautiful than the others, with curves that some men might literally kill each other over. A more beautiful body I’d never seen. Nothing too big, nothing too small, just the right amount of everything to get my blood pumping. Her long black hair poured over her shoulders, caressing her copper skin, but the cruel look in her volcanic black eyes made me think she was here to torture me.

I quickly forced my heart to slow its pumping. Getting attracted to a Huntress could only mean death. I could admire her beauty, but if I started to lust after her, my demise would not be far.

The woman smiled, but in her eyes was pure hatred.

"Well,  _ boy _ , get on your knees and grovel," she said, and her smooth, regal tone almost sent me into a state of shock.

Everything about her was perfection.

It was like she walked straight out of my dreams, but the words she said belonged in a nightmare.

“Beg me for your life, you  _ worm _ . Beg me properly and I may just decide to let you live. You don’t deserve to draw breath, but my Lady said something about information. Even so, if I decide to kill you, I won’t be punished. So if you want to live, you should start  _ doing as I command _ . I told you to  _ grovel! _ ”

As much as I desired this woman as a man, I loathed her equally as a person. I may not have agreed with the ideals of the Hunt, but on a fundamental level, I respected its members. This woman… I did not respect in the least. Causing trouble for her family, disobeying her Lady, knowingly performing actions that would hurt those she cared about. 

She clearly knew Artemis wished to speak with me, she had said it herself. And yet here she was, apparently intent on killing me.

“ _ Selfish, _ ” I thought loudly in my head.

I managed to crawl out of the bed, but as soon as I put any weight on my legs, I knew I wouldn't be able to stand. I fell to my knees, just barely managing not to writhe in a combination of pain and fury.

"Please, spare my life," I couldn’t manage to say with conviction. My pride hurt beyond belief at even this much, prostrating myself before a girl like this one.

An angel’s laughter drifted from this devil’s lips.

“You amuse me,” she said lightly. Suddenly serious, she commanded, “Lick my feet!”

Looking forward, I noticed she had no shoes, her delicate toes on display. Her adorable, dainty feet aroused me more than I was willing to admit, but I had far more pressing concerns.

“Absolutely not,” I growled, looking up as the woman’s playful smirk turned furious.

“What did you say?!” she screeched, and yet somehow even that sounded like a precious melody.

Resting on my knees, I roughly explained, “Huntresses turn their back on the company of men, forever. I will not lick your feet. I will not touch you, or any Huntress.”

I had already ascertained this was some sort of test. This woman was strong--maybe as strong as me--and who knew what tricks she had up her sleeves. She was probably as old as I was. Which means she would not be so immature.

Once she commanded I lick her feet, it became obvious. No Huntress would ask such a thing of a man.

As a way of getting back at the woman, I couldn’t help but to tease her in retaliation.

“Of course,” I began. I tried to keep my tone as solemn as possible. I didn’t want to die, after all. I continued, “If you ever reject the Hunt, I’m sure we can work something out.”

I quickly learned her dainty feet were not so delicate as her toes caught my chin and brought my entire body into the air, landing back on the bed.

I had never been kicked so hard in my life, and even though it felt like I got run over by a herd of buffalo, damn if that display of strength wasn’t sexy.

My instincts ran through my head, even as I tried to stop them. They had been there ever since I turned mortal. I supposed it was the call all mortals had to deal with at some point. The call to pass down our genes.

_ She is strong. Her children will be strong.  _ **_Our_ ** _ children will be strong. Her body is perfectly suited to bearing children, and they will inherit her strength and mine. I will take her. She is  _ **_mine!_ **

I shouted at my instincts to shut up, and that she was a Huntress. I hated when this happened--when my instincts tried to control my actions.

I had never let that happen before, and I certainly wouldn’t let it happen now. It was sheer folly to try to woo a Huntress. I would never try to encourage one to break their oath--even one as gorgeous as the one in front of me.

Even though I knew that it would bring me nothing but trouble... I truly wanted to take one last look at the enchanting woman. Unfortunately, I could barely open my eyes, much less lift up my head.

Just before I passed out, I heard her say calmly and quietly, “You pass. Barely.”

* * *

At some point I must have entered a sort of semi-conscious state, as I could hear conversations happening, but I couldn’t comprehend the words or who might be speaking them, and they all sort of blended together.

"So it  _ is _ him. I thought he sounded familiar. This is terrible. Killing him is almost completely off the table for now."

"What do you mean, onee-chan? Is he important or something?"

"He isn't exactly, but there  _ are _ some important people who might be very upset if he died."

"Oh. Is he a meanie?"

"He wasn't really mean, back when I met him. But I'm not sure how much he's changed. It has been over three hundred years, you know. And he’s mortal, now."

"So he is a good guy?"

"I don't know if a guy can  _ be  _ good, but… If they can, he’d be on my list of suspects.”

"Okay. Bye-bye!"

"Hey, don't tell anybody else about this, okay, Ayano? You’re not supposed to be in here.”

"So why are you sitting around waiting for that  _ boy _ to wake up?"

"I'm making sure he doesn't hurt himself while he's asleep, and we need to know when he wakes up so the elder sisters and our Lady can interrogate him."

"But why do we care?"

"You foolish girl. Artemis can sense the existence of the barrier, but he is the only one who can physically interact with it. We need to know more about it so we can dispel it."

"But why do we  _ ca-are _ ?"

"We don't yet know if it was a one time thing or if every boy who gets near us will be trapped."

"But why can't we just kill all the boys who get near the camp? Why not just kill him now and get it over with?

"Come now, think, child. Can you really advise the cold-blooded murder of someone who has saved countless lives?"

"Huh? Countless lives? What are you talking about? Him? But he let himself get shot twice! How could he save anybody?"

_ Sigh.  _ "I'll tell you in a minute, my shift is nearly over."

"So why do we care about this guy again?"

"It's not that  _ we  _ care about him. Rather, it would be troublesome if he dies. He is important to Olympus. They think they can use him."

"Well, let them, I say. He's trouble. If they want him, he must be strong. And that means he must be an asshole. Let's get rid of him quickly."

"I'm with you there. Men are all the same. Even if he is a war hero, he's still a man."

"War hero?! Him?!"'

"Yeah. He was an Independent. You know, the immortals who gave it up to participate in the war? This guy… Was probably the best of them."

"What do you mean?"

"According to the news we picked up after the battle of Manhattan, after Kronos was defeated, monsters near Mount Othrys went absolutely crazy, running amok through the streets of cities nearby. Apparently, an Independent who called himself Percy Jackson killed every single monster in San Diego, the only city without demigods in it at the time, by himself. Estimates put the count at over two hundred monsters, including some of the nasty ones--hydras, Nemean lions, manticores, and the like."

"Well, if he did it single handedly, how do we even know he did it? No comrades means no evidence."

"Because he was all over the news, Vivienne. The mortals thought he was some kind of vigilante who took down a crime syndicate in one day. They called him something lame, like the San Diego Savior or something. But one thing's for sure. If he hadn't been there, thousands of mortals would have died, maybe tens of thousands."

"Huh. Well, he's still a filthy male. We should send him packing. But... Can we even do that? If he's as strong as you say he is..."

"Don't worry. The elder sisters can take him on. Probably. And our Lady could smite him with her eyes closed."

“Why are we wasting our precious medical supplies on a male?”

“Natalie, we’ve talked about this. The Hunt turns their back on the company of men, but that’s all. Not every man is evil, and some even deserve respect. Think Orion.”

“You’re comparing  _ Orion  _ with this guy?”

“‘Comparing’ is too strong a word. It was just a ‘for instance.’ I’m only trying to make the point that not every male is a monster.”

“When’s he gonna wake up, okaa-chan?”

“Tomorrow, Ayano. Why do you want him to wake up so soon?”

“Can… can he be my new otou-san?”

“No, Ayano. Definitely not. I can be your mother until you grow up, but you will have no father. You are a Huntress now. You have turned your back on the company of all men. You must remember your oath.”

“...”

“Don’t cry, Ayano. You can sleep with Mommy tonight, okay?”

“Yay! I love you, okaa-chan!”

* * *

When I finally woke up, I saw the beautiful woman standing over my bed--er, cot, rather. She seemed even prettier this time, which I was shocked was even possible. I cursed the fates for making such a perfect woman and putting her in the Hunt of all places.

Even as I cursed, my instincts cheered that she had been kept safe and untouched, just for me, all this time.

_ ‘Shut up,’  _ I told myself.  _ ‘She’s not bearing anybody’s children, so stop thinking about her like that.’ _

I think, when she looked at me, she was reminded of what she had ordered me to do earlier.

Her eyes glanced at my mouth and then down to her feet, and if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought she blushed.

But I did know better.

That was just my imagination. I hadn't known the touch of a woman for longer than any human on earth, and suffice it to say I was getting a little lonely. That, and my instincts had been getting louder and louder over the course of the war.

I probably just projected what I wished had happened onto her.

_ ‘Huntress. She's a Huntress.’  _ I told myself, and for once my instincts agreed.

As if to prove my point, her regal voice was steady and firm, no trace of embarrassment to be found within.

"Get up. Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you."


	2. Back to Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say here, really. Just that I'm sorry if there are any errors, or if it's not good.

**Last Time:**

When I finally woke up, I saw the beautiful woman standing over my bed - er, cot, rather. She seemed even prettier this time, which I was shocked was even possible. I cursed the fates for making such a perfect woman and putting her in the Hunt of all places.

Even as I cursed, my instincts cheered that she had been kept safe and untouched, just for me, all this time.

 _'Shut up,'_ I told myself. _'She's not bearing anybody's children, so stop thinking about her like that.'_

I think, when she looked at me, she was reminded of what she had ordered me to do earlier.

Her eyes glanced at my mouth and then down to her feet, and if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought she blushed.

But I did know better.

That was just my imagination. I hadn't known the touch of a woman for longer than any human on earth, and suffice it to say I was getting a little lonely. That, and my instincts had been getting louder and louder over the course of the war.

I probably just projected what I wished had happened onto her.

 _'Huntress. She's a Huntress.'_ I told myself, and for once my instincts agreed.

As if to prove my point, her regal voice was steady and firm, no trace of embarrassment to be found within.

"Get up. Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you."

**Now:**

Having just woken up, and apparently hallucinating as well, my mind was not at its best, so I probably said something real intelligent, like, "Uh, right. Okay."

As I slung my legs over the side of the cot, I thought about what a stupid name 'The San Diego Savior' was. Mortals always took things too far. Sure, I'd been the only soldier in San Diego after Kronos had been defeated, and I sort of did save the place, but the mortals only thought I'd destroyed a cartel. How was that saving the city?

Shaking my head, I diagnosed the stinging pain in my thighs as being 'ignorable.' It hurt, sure, but using the muscles wouldn't cause the injury to worsen.

As I shakily stood up, I surveyed the room, only to find my weapons were not within. Which wasn't surprising, really. I would've taken them from me, too.

The beautiful Huntress seemed to notice my action, and urged, "All in due time. For now, follow me.

"Understood," I said gruffly, my throat being drier than I'd thought it would be. How long was I out?

As she turned, her raven hair swished enticingly. Swallowing roughly, I followed her out of the tent, ignoring the pain that shot through my legs whenever I took a step.

Outside the tent was the famous camp of the Hunt. I counted just over a dozen tents, excluding the one I'd just left. Last I'd heard, the Hunt was over thirty women strong, which meant this wasn't the entire hunt, or they had been hit hard during the war.

I'd never had a family, but I'd always wanted one, even as an immortal. I could only imagine the pain of finally finding one, only to have it ripped away. My legs didn't hurt so badly, as I became lost in thought.

But, this wasn't the time for sympathy. I had to follow the heavenly woman to Artemis and 'the Elder Sisters,' if what I'd heard in my sleep was to be believed. If I wasn't careful, I might not make it out alive.

The Huntress took me to a tent no different from the rest, but once inside, I realized it was dimensionally transcendental. Which is to say, it was bigger on the inside. I was used to such enchantments, so it didn't especially surprise me.

What did surprise me, though, was the fact that the so-called 'Elder Sisters' were in fact three women and Artemis sitting at a plastic folding table. Once the woman escorting me took her seat to the goddess's immediate right, it was four women and Artemis, with two women on either side of the Lady of the Hunt.

Artemis spoke first.

"So, young man. First things first, would you mind re-affirming your oath to Olympus?" she asked, almost too politely.

"I, Percy Jackson, vow to defend Olympus with my very life," I said solemnly. Thunder cracked, accepting my words as an oath

"Well, now that that is out of the way, Percival Jackson, please explain what it is you're doing here," Artemis said, in the same polite tone. It was honestly starting to freak me out.

"Well, your Ladyship," I began. "I recently received word that the war was over. I assume you know I am - was? - an Independent. So I was travelling to Olympus, where I left my immortal power in the hands of the Lady of the Hearth. However, I ran into trouble - literally. I collided with an invisible barrier in the woods, and when I investigated it, I discovered it was travelling in a certain direction. That direction was the same direction a group of your Huntresses was travelling. I soon realized that the barrier seemed to enclose an area around your Huntresses, and I was trapped within."

"I see." Artemis said grimly. "Are you absolutely positive you are unable to escape?"

"No, my Lady," I answered truthfully. I explained, "As I understand it, the barrier moves with the Hunt. In what manner exactly, I do not yet know. However, I do know that the barrier was constantly moving earlier, and I thought I ought to explain myself before attempting to investigate further."

"A wise decision," Artemis approved, her silver eyes blinking slowly. "A shame that decision resulted in your injuries, but your story is rather hard to accept."

I nodded in agreement, though I was still quite miffed about being shot. Twice.

"In any case," Artemis continued. "We will need you to continue your investigation. My Hunt will remain in this location while you attempt to discover all you can about the barrier."

"And if I can escape?" I asked, though the chances were slim.

"Hmm," Artemis thought, before she stood up out of her folding chair.

She snapped, and my two swords appeared in her hand. She tossed the sheathed celestial bronze weapons to me.

"If you are able, please do so. I will meet you at Olympus to discuss further. We must see that whatever has happened never happens again."

I bowed my head and said, "Understood, your Ladyship. I will take my leave. I swear upon the River Styx I will do everything in my power to escape."

Thunder rumbled in the distance as I strapped my swords to my belt and made to exit the tent.

"Thank you," said Artemis.

"Wait," the beautiful Huntress who'd brought me here commanded. I turned to look at her, my sky blue eyes clashing with her obsidian ones.

"Before you go," she began, "I have one last question. Do you want to be here?"

The question startled me a small bit, but I smiled in amusement as I answered truthfully, "Absolutely not."

I turned on my heel and left the tent. As I exited the encampment, I didn't see a single Huntress, but when you've lived as long as I have, you know when you're being watched. I was certain that every set of eyes in the camp was on me. I felt sorry for the deer in this forest.

* * *

I walked through the woods, and about a quarter mile from the Hunt I noticed a trail of dried blood. Two trails, actually. This must have been where I collapsed, and the Huntress dragged me to her friends.

My legs ached at the sight.

I quickly found the edge of the barrier, and my first order of business was to determine the nature of the barrier. I walked along the edge, eventually finding a very tall tree the force field bisected.

Even with my legs hurt, I managed to climb the tree in no time, shimmying up it without much of a problem.

At about fifty feet in the air, the problem came to me. I started brushing up against the barrier more and more. At seventy five feet, I couldn't move any further. The barrier had closed in, and it was all I could do not to fall off.

As a wind spirit, this high of a fall wasn't much, but with my aching legs, I didn't want to try jumping.

So began my slow descent.

Taking extra time to feel the barrier, it truly did seem as though it curved, as if it made a dome around the Hunt, blocking me in.

Finally reaching the ground, I began to travel clockwise around the barrier.

I realized several interesting things as I made my way in a full circle.

Firstly, the barrier was fully continuous.

Secondly, it wasn't a perfect circle.

Third, the diameter of the almost-circle was roughly two miles.

Piecing all that together, I eventually concluded that the barrier existed in a circle one mile from the nearest huntress to me.

I was not looking forward to explaining this to Artemis, but there was nothing else I could do.

I walked towards the Hunt with a defeated look on my face, and when I was within sight of the camp, the beautiful Huntress who had woken me up and sat to the right of Artemis was waiting for me.

Wordlessly, she escorted me to Artemis's tent.

After explaining my findings to Artemis, who was no longer with the rest of the Elder Sisters, she sighed deeply.

"I was afraid of this," she admitted.

"My Lady?" her Right Hand questioned from the seat next to her.

Artemis looked at me, her waist length auburn hair falling over her shoulders.

"This is an ancient curse. One I thought I would never see again."

Artemis shook her head.

"It is an evil magic. Meant to inflict as much pain as possible."

"What?" I couldn't help but ask. "It seems fairly benign for a curse."

"To you," Artemis confirmed with a nod.

She glanced at her Right Hand, before glancing back at me.

"Tell me, what do you know of Soulmates?"

"Soulmates?" I asked incredulously. "I've heard legends to do with them. That when mankind was created, they were made to be self sufficient, solitary creatures. Even reproduction was done independently. But for some reason, mankind was separated into male and female, and became dependent on each other. And that each person was born as one half of a whole, forever searching for their other half."

Artemis tapped her fingers against her thigh and let out a breath.

"Glimmers of truth. In reality, it is far more simple. Some humans are born with only half of their original soul, and half of someone else's. Almost always, two people would have half of the other's soul. These people are called Soulmates."

I furrowed my brows, and prepared to ask a question, but Artemis continued her explanation.

"For the most parts, Soulmates will never notice a difference between themselves and others. However, if they happen to meet their Soulmate and touch physically, they will become Bound. Their souls become tethered to one another, and if they separate, it causes great anguish."

I could sort of see where this was going, and I didn't like it.

"The curse afflicting you was devised by a woman, a mage, thousands of years ago. Her husband was not born whole - he had a soulmate. A soulmate who wasn't his wife. One day, he accidentally ran into his soulmate on the street, and they became inseparable. The man was torn. He had vowed to love his wife forever, but it is physically impossible to separate soulmates.

"Or, it was. The wife devised a spell to do just that. But it was not designed to help her husband. It was designed to kill him, and his soulmate, slowly, and painfully."

I looked down, my teeth set in anger.

Artemis's Right Hand looked confused, and Artemis placed her hand on the woman's shoulder as she continued, "She devised a spell to bind one to another physically. She bound her husband to herself, and bound her husband's soulmate to a random man. Then, she left the city they lived in, dragging her husband with her. Her husband's soulmate could not follow, bound as she was. Eventually, the two pined away, and died of sorrow."

Looking up, I asked, "So, how did this happen to me? How did I become bound to the Hunt? What am I being kept from?"

Artemis closed her eyes and shook her head, "I do not know. I had thought Aphrodite had something to do with your situation, but that possibility is slim."

"Why?" her Right Hand asked.

"Because, Zoe," Artemis finally named the woman, "Aphrodite was the one who spearheaded the ban on the curse. The gods were content to let the spell exist in infamy, but the love goddess would not allow it. She convinced the male gods to make a vote outlawing the spell, which passed easily. There is no love lost between her and I, but I know her well enough to be certain she had nothing to do with this."

Zoe asked, "Then who did?"

"I was about to ask the same thing," I added.

Artemis paused before admitting, "I do not know. However, my guess is that whoever or whatever did this did not want you to return to Olympus. To regain your immortality. But they did not want you dead, either. The question is, why the Hunt?"

"And why every member of the Hunt?" I asked. "Why not just one?"

"These questions will only be answered once you reach your original destination. And that is why the Hunt will be travelling to Olympus."

"My Lady?" Zoe asked, clearly stunned. "For a boy?"

"Not all men are evil, Zoe," Artemis reminded her. "And I find myself wanting to know more. This may not be the end. Imagine if, instead of a boy being bound to the Hunt, a Huntress was bound to a boy? Dependent on his grace to remain with her family?"

"I understand, Mistress," Zoe said as she closed her eyes.

Artemis hummed in approval.

"Now, Percival Jackson. You will be staying a short walk from my Huntresses while we travel to Olympus. You will not travel beside us, you will not eat with us, and you will not enter this camp without a very good reason. Zoe will fetch you whenever it is time to move on. I'll also need you to make an oath not to harm any of the Hunt along the way."

I nodded as I swore, "I, Percy Jackson, swear upon the River Styx, that I shall not harm any Huntress of Artemis, except to directly preserve my own life. Neither shall I try to lead any to break their oath. I shall endeavor to protect them, whenever possible. Until I regain my immortal power, this I vow."

Thunder rumbled more loudly than normal, sealing my oath.

"Good," Artemis acknowledged. She turned and said, "Zoe, please escort Percy away from the Hunt."

Wordlessly, I followed Zoe out of the tent, and into another. This one looked to be the equipment tent. Zoe quickly picked a silver bag and tossed it over to me.

She didn't say anything, but I assumed it was a tent.

We didn't say much as she led me just barely out of view of the Hunt, a quarter mile or so. Without a word, she left, and I set to making my tent.

When I finished, I realized there was something on the inside of the silver tent. A canteen, already filled. Nice. I thought about trying to catch something to eat, but I decided I was more tired than hungry. I'd probably been fed somehow while I was out.

Just as I'd exited the tent, I was hit with a wave of exhaustion.

Without even re-entering the tent, I sat down with my back against a tree as I drifted off into an uncomfortable, dreamless sleep.

* * *

I was woken up by the sound of a small child clumsily trudging towards me - I could tell by the sound of the leaves beneath her feet.

What with being a wind spirit and all, I was normally pretty good at sensing others through sound. Sound waves traveled through the air, and so I supposed I could feel sound, just a little.

I had no idea the hunt harbored one this young. She was probably only 6 or 7, judging by her weight.. Suddenly, the noises stopped when she was roughly forty feet away. I let the girl think I was asleep for a few more minutes, to see if she'd leave. I had no qualms, but if the others found out she was here, I'd have a hard time explaining it.

Finally, I realized she wasn't leaving without me telling her to.

I said in the gentlest tone I could muster, with my eyes still closed, "Go back to the camp, young one."

I heard her tiny gasp, and then I heard what I thought was her hiding behind a tree.

"I'm sure your big sisters are worried about you. Go back to them," I said, still gentle.

I heard a tiny noise that indicated discontentment. I didn't want her to leave upset - and on top of that, if she did, I'd look bad.

"What's wrong, little one? You can come out from behind that tree. I'm not going to hurt you."

I held up my empty hands and said, "See? I'm unarmed."

I heard confused breathing noises, and she slowly stepped out from behind her tree.

At this, I opened my eyes.

My visitor was a little Asian girl, probably around 5 or 6 years, even younger than her footsteps indicated.. I worried why she'd be in the hunt this young. Something awful must have happened. I felt my heart drop as I thought about what it could have been.

She said, in a voice I suddenly remembered from when I was semi-conscious the other day, "You don't seem like a big meanie."

I chuckled softly.

'They never do,' I thought to myself.

"Why are you here, little Huntress?" I asked softly.

She moved about ten feet closer, still thirty feet away, and told me, "Everybody said you were a big meanie. I wanted to see if it was true."

I gave her a light smile as I explained, "Well, your big sisters don't like men very much at all. Most guys… really are 'big meanies.' It's a lot easier just to believe all boys are 'meanies,' rather than have to decide which are and which aren't - especially when so many are."

"So you're not?" she asked innocently, obviously hoping I wasn't. Too cute.

"No, I'm not," I agreed. "But don't tell your sisters I said that. They'll get mad at me."

"How come? If you're not a meanie, then why would they get mad at you for saying you aren't?" This girl seriously liked to say 'meanie.'

"Well, if a 'big meanie' said he wasn't a 'meanie,' he'd be lying, right? And people get mad when meanies lie about stuff," I tried my best to explain the complicated social climate of the Hunt.

"Oh. Well, I don't think you're a meanie," the girl stated helpfully.

"Thank you, young one," I couldn't help but give a chuckle.

"My name is Ayano, not 'young one!'" she pouted cutely.

"I'm sorry, little one. I mean, Ayano," I laughed a bit. "Run along, then, Ayano. Get back to your sisters, before they get too worried."

"Okay, Mr. ... uh, what's your name again, mister?"

"I'm called Percy. Nice to meet you Ayano."

The girl had been inching closer the whole time we'd been talking, and before I realized it, she had run up to me, hugged me, and run off.

She seemed awfully trusting for a huntress, even a child Huntress. To say I was worried about her… That was an understatement.

"Bye-bye, Mr. Percy!" she called out as she ran off.

That was certainly the first time I'd heard that one. I wasn't sure I liked it, but this little girl was cute enough that it didn't matter what she said.

I drifted back to sleep before I knew it, but little did I know that when I woke up, I'd be in a heap of trouble, thanks to a child's innocence and my big mouth.

* * *

I woke up when they were the same distance Ayano had been when she first stopped to study me.

While each one was stealthier on her own, there were six in all, so they made about the same amount of noise altogether as Ayano by herself.

They clearly thought they were much stealthier than they really were, since they just kept moving forward, each one passing the tree Ayano had hid behind when I first spoke. No, that was wrong. One stayed back.

I realized the upcoming fight would be incredibly difficult if they ganged up on me. Huntresses weren't known for hand to hand combat, but five armed against one unarmed were absolutely terrible odds. My swords were in the tent, where I really should have been, too, so it wasn't like I could grab them whenever.

On top of that, I couldn't hurt them at all, thanks to my Oath. Just great.

Hopefully, they weren't here to fight. But with my luck, there was next-to-no chance of that.

A voice I didn't recognize started shouting, confirming my faith in my bad luck.

"How dare you! How could you poison the mind of a child! You're twisted. We won't allow this! Wake up, boy!" the unknown woman had an unpleasant tone, but not an unpleasant voice.

I opened my eyes to the sight of five women dual wielding hunting knives. Yep, I was in trouble, if I couldn't think of a way to even the odds.

"Stand up and prepare to fight. Or are you a coward, as well as a pedophile?"

I was starting to dislike this woman.

Still, looking at it from her perspective, she thought she was justified, and I could see it - in a way. She was trying to protect her family, and I could respect that.

But I couldn't take this lying down. Er, sitting down, at the moment, actually.

I made an oath, and I couldn't break it. Looks like I was gonna have to do this the hard way.

I slowly stood up on shaky legs, still not fully healed from the first time I'd been shot. What I wouldn't give for some ambrosia and nectar.

"I'm not a pedophile. You can insult me all you want, hate me as it pleases you, but I feel I ought to set the record straight."

I cracked my knuckles as I said slowly, "I am not, have never been, and will never be, interested in prepubescent children. Now, if you don't believe me - that's not exactly my problem, now is it?"

I got into a ready stance and raised my hands.

"So?" I asked. "Will this be a solo affair, or are you looking to get it over with right now?"

At the five Huntresses' slow looks, I urged, "What will it be? I haven't got all day."

"Fine," the one that had been speaking, seemingly the leader, roughly agreed. "We'll take this one at a time. First will be Helga. Prepare for a thrashing, boy."

One of the five stepped forward, and the leader shouted, "Begin!"

My opponent was roughly five foot eight, and wore no armor. I carefully noted the length of her blades, before she came at me with a vengeance.

Her first strike was with her main hand, and was a thrust straight to the abdomen.

I watched it in slow motion and pushed out my off hand, guiding her arm so that it barely missed me.

Her follow up was a cut across under her wayward first strike, so I just backed up enough that she didn't hit me.

I mockingly yawned, as revenge for the 'pedophile' comment from earlier, which I was honestly still pissed about. I swore an oath on the Styx to protect these girls, and this is the thanks I get?

"So slow it's putting me back to sleep," I commented rudely.

Helga seemed stunned for a second, but continued her assault.

She decided to go with a dual overhand chop, an odd choice with her weapons, and I easily moved her strikes down to my sides. How had she not seen that coming?

If this had been an actual fight, she'd already be dead, but I'd sworn not to harm a Huntress except to preserve my life. She wasn't exactly strong enough to justify harming. She wasn't what I'd call 'a threat to my life.'

She attempted to kick me in anger, but I hopped back enough to avoid it, careful of my mending thighs.

At this point, she was clearly frustrated - even if she wasn't yet tired out. Her breathing remained steady, if angry.

She tried to charge at me with both daggers, so I took a large step to the side and pulled her arms in the direction she was charging.

Overextending as a result of my pull, she lost her balance and started falling.

She rolled on the ground as she fell, before spinning around and leaping off the forest floor towards me a second time, which worked about as well as the first time.

She was getting up, which fury in her eyes, when the leader of the group said, "Enough, Helga. It's clear he has bested you. He is highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Let me take this clown."

It was obvious that Helga was fuming, but she had enough respect for her sister that she stood down. It must have been that Helga was the second strongest, as the other three hadn't participated at all before the fight with their leader.

I spoke up before the leader had a chance to start fighting.

"I never caught your name, you know. I'd like to know the name of my opponent."

"My name is Phoebe. And I'm going to put you in your place, boy."

I didn't want to be any ruder than I already had been, so I said nothing.

That was when Phoebe threw her hunting knife straight at my head.

Once again in slow motion, I grabbed the knife out of the air as easily as plucking an apple off a tree.

I swear I wasn't trying to be sarcastic when I said, "I believe I have something that belongs to you. Here, you can have it back."

I was about to toss it to the woman, but apparently someone couldn't understand that I had no intention of hurting her.

I barely managed to catch the silver arrow speeding towards my chest with my left hand, but I was now holding something in both hands, so the second arrow wasn't so easy to deal with.

I tried to dodge, which should have been easy, but my legs weren't fast enough. Damn these trigger happy silver harpies! I twisted my body frantically, barely avoiding a lethal spot.

As the silver arrow sprouted in my stomach, I dropped the other missile and the hunting knife.

I grit my teeth as I applied pressure to the wound, which hurt like Hades, and spat, "I wasn't going to hurt her. I swore an oath already. I guess… no one… told you…"

I shouldn't have been fainting, but I was. The world was losing color, and I was sinking to my knees.

"Poi...son?" I gasped before I closed my eyes and fell on my side.

"Mr. Percy!"

Ayano's here.

"Mr. Percy! Mr. Percy!" her cries were getting louder.

Ayano saw me get shot.

I wasn't sure what the five - no, six - Huntresses were doing.

I felt Ayano's presence near me, as I lay bleeding on the ground.

"Mr. Percy! I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I told them you weren't a big meanie even though you told me not to! And now you're gonna die and it's all my fault!"

I had to correct her.

"Not… dead… Not… your fault…"

I felt her sobbing against my chest as I passed out for what seemed like the hundredth time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How'd you like it? Isn't Ayano cute?

**Author's Note:**

> Onee-chan is a cutesy way of saying big sister in Japanese.  
> Okaa-chan is like the equivalent of mommy in Japanese  
> Otou-san means dad in Japanese.


End file.
